This is a story I've been meaning to write up for quite a while now, I've been around this site for ages, seen everyone elses work but haven't really shown what I've done or what **** I've come across!

My Calais build was going to start with a naturally aspirated 1988 S2 Platinum Gold Calais I bought as my first car some years ago. It was alright for a first car, looked alright, I seemed to think it went ok for an NA lol. I didn't know too much about VL's but I was learing heaps from this forum and by talking to other people.

I first pissed people off by entering this N/A Calais in Motorvation with all the sick VLT's and VL8's, but no one else wanted to take the already paid for entrant spot so I took it haha

After this, I bought an incomplete VLT from xibitor for $400 which came with a VLT 28 spline LSD diff. I had the center rebuilt nice and tight and put back together with 3.9 gears and then put that into my Calais. That was fun.... I was often down at the drags with it, deffinately wasn't the quickest car there but I was still having a bit of fun.

As everyone knows, VLT's are better than VL NA's.
I had planned to strip the car and respray it because the clear coat was peeling, and I was going to rebuild a VLT motor and Auto box which I had picked up along the way.
Car stripped, and wow what? This car was a cut and shut back in the day. From the strut towers forward it was another car welded on! Nice big crease under the drivers seat aswell. Wish I had known a little bit more before I bought this car, instead of buying 'the first one I saw!'

Then I gave up. Sold all the turbo gear I had acumulated and sold all the parts off that Calais. (well I didn't sell the diff though)

I Ended up buying a nice 5 speed '87 VL Berlina from OldGold. VLT Brakes, disc brake rear, extractors, RB20 box, Walky rims - it was nice and reliable and got me to work and back.

Then a decent job came along, I needed a new car! So I bought a VZ and sold the Berlina to _vendetta. Wow @ VZ! The aircon and cruise control worked and it was awesome! lol

But I still wanted to build a VL.
I bought an '86 VL Berlina from Stocs101 which wasnt running and the next day bought a crashed '87 VLCT from the wreckers, which actually used to belong to an old CT member GTA_1024

The plan was to put the driveline from the crashed Calais into the Berlina.
Well that didn't happen, I sold the driveline and bought an RB25DET with gearbox from SAU forums with the intentions of it all going into the Berlina.... which also didn't happen when I sold the Berlina to _vendetta (again) which gets me to my current Calais.

Now, this awesome specimen of a VL, some may have seen it when it was owned by someone else? Sent from WA to Rajab in VIC and was talked up to be the WA's first 9second VL?

Anyways, came with no engine or box, VL V8 LSD Diff, NA front brakes, mint interior, no front bumper, trans tunnel bashed out for a powerglide.

Here it is not long after I bought it, NA RB30 had just gone in as I was going to drive it to the CT BBQ cruise like that. (Didnt make it because I slept in after working to get it running all night)

K frame with cross bars chopped out (actually passed the pits like that)

Looking a little bit umm DISTURBED hey?

I ended up taking it to my mates paint shop to get stripped back, doors off boot/bonnet off etc etc and get fully resprayed (well actually engine bay hasnt been done, but thats currently gloss black)

We made up a custom gunmetal colour which looks MINT (since this I've seen to many new cars with factory gunmetal paint jobs but they're still not as good as mine! haha)

In the booth with the doors and bootlid back on

And outside once finished (please ignore the name on the boat in the background)

Next step was to pass the pits. Failed. Powersteering rack leaked right onto inspectors head. Many front suspension bushes needed replacing. Tailshaft center bearing stuffed. No charcoal canister, few other things.
Got them sorted and passed the pits 2 weeks later without a drama.

Still has an NA RB30 with my R33 gearbox behind it. I need the time to finish preparing my S2 RB25 to go in, and piss off the 3.08 V8 diff gears in favour for some 4.11's
I would actually rather drop in an V8 LSX motor, but I take too long to do things sometimes
Otherwise theres some 3L plans brewing in my head.................

Cheers, thanks for reading, and I will update this thread as things progress!!!